Water cooler attachment



July 30, 1957 'H. D. WOODMANSEE WATER COOLER ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. 15, 1955 INVENTOR. .Hbzu: .D. waa/wv/wzz United States Patent WATER DQOLER ATTACHMENT Hollis D.-Woodmansee, Cypress, Calif.

AppiicationAugust 15, .1955, Serial No. 528,188

1 Claim. '(CL62-141) This invention has to do with a cooler for drinking water and ,is more particularly concerned with a water 2,800,776 Patented July 30, 1957 out interrupting the fuel supply to the engine or power plant to-which the' structure is related.

The'various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of a typical pre'fer'redform and application of my invention, throughout which description reference is made :to the accompanying drawings, in which:

i Fig. l is a sideelevational view of a truck, it being a truck having a' compressed :gas fuel supply and showing the attachment provided by the present invention 'related thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the attachment that I provide and showing it applied to the fuel line of the truck, the container b'eing shown in section. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view of a portion of the attachment provided "by the present invention, it being a view taken substantiallfas indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 2.

The water cooler attachment provided by the present .invention i-s shown as being related "to a vehicle ortruck A. The truck A is shown as a typical utility vehicle having' an elongate frame 10, front and rear wheels 11 and 12 at the ends ofv the frame, an internal combustion engine B at the forward nd of the frame and adapted toidrive the truck, a-suita'ble housing or hood 13 covering summer, or in hot arid country, the drinking'water in the 7 cans becomes Warm and very unpleasant to drink. Heretofore, the persons havingto drink water handled in the manner above set forth, have attempted to kee the water as cool and pleasant 'to-drink'as possible, by covering the water cans with wetburlap sacks, or the like, to,'in effect establish an evaporative cooler, or have, when possible, imported ice tobe placed in the cans. I

At such sites, many of the trucks and heavy power operated machines, such as bulldozers and compressor-s,

use butane, propane, or certain of the other so-called bottled gas fuels, which fuels are carried in tanks at extremely high pressures and in a liquid state, and are fed into the fuel lines to the power plants or engines, under control of suitable pressure regulator valves at or near the tanks, or engines, or both. As the compressed fuel enters the fuel lines, it is permitted to expand slightly or to a degree that it becomes gaseous. As the fuel expands in the fuel line and changes form, that :is, from a liquid state to a gaseous state, the temperature thereof drops considerably, with the result that the fuel line becomes chilled.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a drinking water cooler attachment applicable to the fuel line of a power operated vehicle or the like, and through which expanded compressed gas fuel is conducted, and

an attachment which utilizes the cooling effect of the expanding fuel to cool the drinking water.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tubular coil adapted to be engaged in a fuel line handling expanding compressed gas fuel'and engageable in a drinking water container to cool the water.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water cooler attachment ofthe general character referred to which is both easy and economical of manufacture and which requires no specialskill or tools to install and to operate.

A further object of the present invention is to provide control means for my water cooler attachment whereby the cooler can be put into or taken out of operation with- .ithe engine,.a -'cab 1 4 rearwardof the engine and the hood,

and a work bed or suitable work carrier 15 rearward of fuel tank Cisecured t'o'th'e' frame 1t) rearward of the cab 14 beneath the work carrier 15, and a suitable fuel line D extending ibetween andconnected with the engine B andthefuel tank'C. V

' The'fuel line D isa'dapted to carry and conduct a compressed gas fuel, such'as butane or the like. The fuel is=1carriedT-in:the tank C under considerable pressure and so;that it is in 'a liquid state therein. The fuel, 'to be burned or .consumed by the engine B, must be reduced in pressure and let to return'to its gaseous state. To

accomplish the above, I have provided a suitable pressure regulator valveS16, wliich'valve is engaged in the fuel line i D adjacent :the tank C. The regulator valve 16 reduces the pressure. on the 'fuel as it enters the fuel line D and fiovvs-tocth'e IengineZB, and allows it to expand into a gaseous state. As =the fue'l expands in the fuel line D,

after passing pressure regulator valve 16, it absorbs heat -with'theres'ultithat the fuel line D'is chilled.

' SO ehga'ged in the container and connected with the fuel line D, and control means E related to, the coil 30 and the fuel line D and controlling the flow of fuel through The container 20 provided by the present invention is shown as'inclu-ding asimple cylindrical can-like body 21 having straight, vertically disposed side walls 22 and a flat bot-tom 23, a closure or lid 24 engaged in and closing the top of thecontainer body, and a suitable faucet 25 at the lower end portion of the body and operable to drain or draw the water therefrom. In the caseillustrated, the cover of the lid 24 of the container 20 is a flat plate-like i and described is only contemplated.

attachment.

part overlying the upper open end of the body 21 and is shown with an annular depending flange 26, which flange is adapted to be slidably engaged in the body at the upper end thereof and to prevent the cover 24 from shifting out of engagement with or falling off of the body.

'It is to be understood that in practice, any suitable water container could "be employed in carrying out the present invention and that the particular container shown one of several types of containers I The cooling coil 30 of the present invention is a simple elongate vertically disposed coil formed of av length of tubing. The coil 30 is of such size and shape that it can be freely engaged in the container from the open up- 5 to the upper end portion thereof whereupon it is turned radially outwardly to extend through a suitable opening 28 in the side walls 22 of the container body 21, and then continues outwardly therefrom to establish an outlet duct 32 for the coil 30.

The inlet duct 31 for the cooling coil is connected" with the fuel line D adjacent the pressure regulator valve 16. The outlet duct 32 of the cooling coil 30 is'connected with the fuel line D at a point spaced downstream from the point where the inlet duct is connected with the fuel line.

In practice, the ends of thetubing establishing the coil 30 could terminate where they project through the openings 27 and 28 in the sides of the container body 21 and the supply ducts 31 and 32 connecting the coil with the fuel line D could be connected therewith by means of suitable tubing couplings, or the like. It has been found, however, that by forming the coil 30 and the ducts 31 and 32 integrally with each other, eliminates the expense of the couplings that would otherwise have to be provided and applied and also minimizes the chances of leaks forming in the construction. a

The control means E related to the coil 20 and the fuel line D, to control the flow of fuel through the coil, is shown as including a suitable inlet valve 40 in the inlet duct 31, an outlet valve 41 in the outlet duct 32, and a shut-off valve 42 in the fuel line 'D'intermediate, or between the points where the inlet and outlet'ducts join the fuel line. a

With the above relationship of parts, it will be apparcut that by opening the inlet and outlet valves 40 'and 41 I in the inlet and outlet ducts 31'and 32, and by closing the shut-off valve 42 in the fuel line D, the flow of fuel from the 'fuel tank C to the engine B bypasses the shutoff valve 42 and flows through the cooling coil 30 of my As the fuel flows through the coil '30, it expands, chilling the coil and thereby cooling the water in the container 20 in which the coil is engaged.

,It will also be apparent that by opening the shut-off valve 42 in the fuel line D and by closing one or the other of both of the inlet'and outlet valves 40 and 41 in the inlet and outlet ducts 31 and 32, the flow of fuel through the fuel line D, between the points where the ducts 31 and 32 connect therewith, can be established and the flow of fuel through the coil 30 can be shut-off.

In practice, one or the other of the valves 40 or 41 can be eliminated from the control means-E. However,

by providing the two valves 40 and 41,-rerr ioval or disconnection of the cooler attachment provided-by thepresent invention, for the purpose of servicing or repairs, is greatly facilitated. p i

In the form of the invention illustrated, the tubing esfmy invention is shown connected with the fuel hne D by meansfof a suitable T-fitting 53 engaged in the fuel line D i and outlet valves 40 and 41 of the control means E are arranged between and as coupling the ducts 31 and 32 materially reduced.

tablishing the coil 30 and the ducts 31 and 32 is the same size as the fuel line D so that the attachment does not restrict or interfere with the flow of fuel line to the engine B. In practice, however, the tubing establishing the coil 31 could 'be substantially larger than the fuel line D so that a greater part or amount of expansion of the fuel will take place in the coil.

It will be apparent that since the fuel starts to expand in the fuel line D as soon as it leaves the pressure regulator valve 16, and since it is fully expanded and in a gaseous state by the time it reaches the engine B, the greatest cooling effect created or obtained by the expanding fuel is in the portion of the fuel line D nearest the pressure regulator valve 16. For the above reasons, the attachment provided by the present invention is preferably connected with the fuel line D as close to the pressure regulator valve 16 as possible. In the case illustrated, a suitable T-fitting 50 is shown secured to the outlet side of the regulator valve 16 by means of a suitable union 51. The fuel line D is connected with one of the openings of the T-fitting 50 and the inlet duct 31 of my cooler attachment is shown connected to the other opening of the T- fitting 50. With the above structure, it will be apparent that when the cooler provided by the present invention is put into operation, the fuel flows directly into the inlet duct 31 of the attachment and does not enter or flow through the fuel line D until it has passed through the coil'30 and expanded whereupon it is conducted into the fuel line D by the outlet duct 32. The outlet duct 32 of downstream of the pressure regulator valve 16 and shut-off valve 42 therein.

In the preferred carrying out of the invention, the inlet with the T-fittings 50 and 53. With this relationship of parts, it will be seen that the number of pipe or tubing connections that are required to make up the structure 18 In the form of the invention illustrated, the openings 27 and 28 in the body 21 of the container 20 are slot-like openings extending into the body from its upper end. The openings extend downwardly a suflicient distance 1n the body so that when the ends of the coils are seated therein they occur below the flange 26 on the cover 24 and are not subject to being damaged thereby or interfering therewith.

In the particular case under consideration, I have shown rubber grommets 60 engaged in the openings 27 and 28 and passing the ends of the cooling coil 30. The grommets 60 serve to hold the coil in fixed position in the container and also prevent rattling and wearing of the 6011 in the container.

It is to be understood that the attachment that I provide need not be applied to a truck such as is shown and described, but can be advantageously employed where ever bottled or compressed gas fuel, such as butane, is employed, and where it is desired to provide cool drinking water.

Having described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claim:

Having described my invention, I claim:

A water cooler attachment applicable to a fuel line conducting expanding butane gas from a fuel tank to an engine including, an elongate vertically disposed water container having an open top, a lid engaged with and closing the top of the container, an elongate vertically disposed cooling coil engaged in the container, notch-like openings in the container about the upper peripheral edge thereof and receiving the ends of the coil, an elongate inlet duct integrally joined to and extending from one end of the coil, an elongate outlet duct integrally joined to and extending from the other end of the coil, a T-fitting in the fuel line adjacent the tank and connected with the inlet duct, a second T-fitting in the fuel line downstream from the first mentioned fuel line and connected with the outlet duct, and means controlling the flow of expanding gas through the coil including, an inlet valve between and connecting the first T-fitting and the inlet duct, an outlet valve between and connecting the said second T-fitting and the outlet duct, and a shut-off valve in the fuel line between the said T-fittings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,822,586 Eckles Sept. 8, 1931 2,120,166 Tonkin June 7, 1938 2,233,249 Downs Feb. 25, 1941 2,319,971 Bodine May 25, 1943 2,701,133 Mendez Feb. 1, 1 955 

